What makes our horses unresponsive?

The answer: Boiled frogs. Our horses are extremely sensitive animals. They can also be very trainable, that’s what makes them such good partners. They can learn to be very tolerant, even to pain and discomfort. At one point a horse can be afraid and fighting for their life and we may not even have physical contact with them. That same horse later in life can be unresponsive or desensitized to the same and even greater pressures or pain.

How do we do this? Or my question in many cases is “why do people do this?” I believe in many cases the people are getting boiled along with their horses and don’t even realize it.

Frogs adapt to any temperature as long as the change is gradual. If you take a frog, put it in cold water and slowly turn up the heat, the frogs’ body temp will slowly increase with the water and the frog will not notice or respond from the change. On the other hand, you can drop a frog directly into hot water and it will jump out realizing the sudden change it was exposed to.

This is what I see so many times with people and their horses. They slowly increase the pressure and wait for their horse to respond, then increase the pressure and wait, then after no response, add a bit more pressure until it takes quite a bit of heat to get a response. When we make gradual changes, our horses learn to tolerate it. The slower we turn the heat up the less noticeable it is. When we want to desensitize areas this is an effective and positive method. But let’s do a self evaluation; do you need to kick or ask repeatedly to start or maintain motion with your horse? Is your horse desensitized to your cues? The horse can feel you getting ready to kick them and if they understand the direction and rate of speed intended they can respond accordingly.

The fly lands softly on them then suddenly bites them causing a quick change of awareness. The horse makes a sudden adjustment by attempting to get rid of the fly. If this is all it takes to get the horse to react, maybe we should reevaluate what it takes for us to get a response.

It is important that we reward the horse for acknowledging our request, and not expect a specific result, only a change. If they are acknowledging the pressure, they are responding. It may not be the response that you want and if it is not, then you need to ask them in a different way. When we ask them to go, if we give a light comfortable signal then reinforce it with enough to get a response like going from a comfortable 65 degrees to an uncomfortable 100 degrees, they will hunt the 65 degrees. If we want to operate between 70 degrees and 80 degrees, when the horse experiences 81 degrees we should suddenly increase the temp to 90, 110 or even 150 degrees if we need to until the horse realizes and responds to the sudden change. Then when the horse knows they can stay between 70 and 80 degrees, they wont want to experience 150, 110 90 or even 81 degrees.

Our presentation will determine the response we get from our horses. We can softly motivate and direct them like the fly or we can slowly boil them like a frog. Some people may think of it as being rough or harsh when a horse may get startled, but it only happens periodically in carefully measured doses and is always preceded by a warning. It may be a lot more humane than boiling them without anyone noticing, even the horse.

Good horsemanship is no doubt a fine art. People can’t teach people horsemanship. People can help people learn about horses and develop their horsemanship, but it has to come from the horse. The horse is the only one that can and will confirm if your horsemanship is effective.

What’s the message you are giving your horse?

Why can one rider have trouble getting a horse to respond and another rider take the same horse and get along great? We may be familiar with the influence of feel and timing, but something that could be quicker for the rider to learn is the effect of the rein or reins in different positions.

We can observe different places we position one or both reins and note the response we get from our horses. Also, note the direction of pull along with the amount and time of pressure applied in relation to the horse’s response. It makes no difference whether we wanted the response they gave us, the important thing to note is what action got what reaction.

Experimenting with the following rein positions can potentially give you completely different results: try pulling one rein to your hip, or pulling straight out from the horses shoulder, in front of the saddle lifting the rein against the wither, or with a short rein lifting and pushing against the jaw. All this is done with one rein, different lengths, different directions and different amounts of pressure, to get totally different responses.

Using one rein to get them to start or stop their feet will get the horse to respond without pulling on our hands as much as they can when we pull on both reins. For example, if we pull both reins evenly to stop and the horse doesn’t respond with the feet properly and starts pulling on our hands, we can relax one rein and pull on the other rein enough to put a bend in their neck. Then they won’t be pulling as hard as when their neck is straight and this can transmit through the loin to the hind quarter which will step to one side instead of pushing straight ahead, which will help them to slow down.

When backing, if they are heavy, we can take one rein to move the hind feet first, then draw both reins to get the front feet to follow the hind feet back.

Whether it is speed regulation, stop, back, change of direction, or any combination thereof, there is a place that can maximize the message you desire by positioning the rein. Once the horse learns how to interpret our desire and learns how to prepare to do what we are asking, our hands don’t need to be in such drastic positions and we can become more uniform with our signals.

Once we understand the effects of one rein, then we can realize the difference when we add the second rein. Again, experimenting with the position and pressure of each rein and all the effects of it; head elevation, speed or change of direction. It is important to identify how the horse places its feet when changing direction. The front quarters can be reaching left while the hindquarters are reaching right, or both front and hind can be reaching the same direction, or one can be neutral, pivoting while the other has all the motion. Also note whether they are in a forward motion or a reverse motion, all of these variations can change because of the position of the rein.

Instead of us trying to force confusing messages to our horses, if we can step back and observes the cause and effect, learn from that, understand that the horse isn’t trying to frustrate us and make trouble for themselves. The horse is always looking for the path of least resistance, although we may not understand why they do what they do, we can understand what we did to cause them to do it, and use that to get what we want.

Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down?

We all know that the position of our hands can make a lot of difference on how our horses receive and respond to our reining cues, yet I see very little difference in most riders when it comes to changing the position of their hands if their horse is having trouble. When a person is riding with a rein in each hand, if we notice, their arms may move higher or lower changing the elevation of the hand but the hand itself is in the same position most of the time.

When most people ask for the horse to respond to the reins they may start out with a light pressure, their hands may even be below their hips, their elbows somewhat straight. But if they do not get the response they are looking for they usually pull harder until something changes.

This is like the scenario of one person trying to give instructions to another who speaks a different language. One person talks to the other and because there isn’t the expected response, the person gets louder and louder. It doesn’t translate any different, the problem isn’t that they don’t acknowledge you; it’s that they don’t understand you.

When we can see that our horse is acknowledging our request by trying to do something, then the problem is that they don’t understand what we are asking and it’s not going to help to ask louder, only cause confusion, anxiety or fear. If we continue to ride this way, eventually most horses will become calloused.

If our horse is acknowledging us and if they don’t respond correctly in a reasonable amount of time, we need to change our message in some way so that it makes sense to them. This doesn’t just mean bring our hands to our hips so we have more leverage.

The direction our thumbs are pointing, especially when it comes to lateral movement, but also when we are stopping, backing or steering them straight forward, can make a huge difference.

For example, when our thumbs are pointed out, our elbows are in next to our side and we are using our biceps. This means we are more likely to lock our arms and be very firm with our hands. When the horse feels this they will usually react by pulling against us because their only choices are to either put their chin on their chest where they can’t go any farther or pull an equal amount of pressure in order to maintain their head position and their balance.

When the thumbs are pointed up we can offer a slightly different feel, a little softer, but we are still using our biceps mostly so the affect is going to be similar to our thumbs pointed out. Our elbows are still next to our side where it is easy for us to lock up and we will likely resort to using strength rather than finesse, causing the horse to react by going against the pressure.

When our thumbs are pointed in with our palms down, we are using more triceps and less bicep, making it less likely to lock our arms. This as a result, makes our hands softer which is going to help maintain softness in our horses.

If we point our thumbs down and straighten our arms on a less experienced horse or one that has trouble getting enough forward motion, it can be very helpful. This means that we are either lifting our arm and or pushing it out, in either case we will not be using any bicep and we cannot put as much pressure on the reins. We can’t teach the horse to resist as much pressure if we are not putting the pressure there for him to experience. Instead, we are offering a softer feel and giving the horse more time to move into our hands because our hands are in a leading position instead of a blocking position.

Whether you are using one rein at a time or both to point the horses’ nose, try riding with your thumbs pointed in and see if it doesn’t soften your horses. If you are having trouble getting forward motion, point your thumbs down and your palm out to the side and see if your horse will get to moving forward better for you.

There still may be times you need to point your thumbs up or out, but save that for when all else fails instead of your first response.

Spring Checkup

This time of year, when a person starts riding a horse that has been laid off for the winter—or at any other time—and may have prospered, it might be a good idea to check the horse mentally to see if horse and rider are on the same wavelength. It's easy for the rider to get in trouble if the horse is feeling good or is just cold backed. An exercise to help burn up excess energy and get your horse to listen to you, and you to listen to your horse could be very helpful. If you have ever been bucked off or otherwise hurt by a fresh horse, you may appreciate this idea.

In a round pen or a square pen, saddle your horse and let him move around at any pace at which you and he are comfortable. If he feels frisky, just let him burn off energy for awhile and when he starts to let down, try this exercise. What you are looking for is smooth transitions between the stop, walk, jog, extended trot, lope, turn and change of directions. The more time the horse takes in preparing for the transitions and the more feel you get working between the two of you, the better luck you will have once on board.

If the horse is tight and hurrying to get away from you, or if he is operating in an escape mode, you may need to pull your hat down before you step on. One way I like to check this out is to get the horse to turn away from you. If he is unsure about anything, he will keep his head up and change eyes very quickly. When he drops his head below his withers and takes his time through the turn, he is much more comfortable with his environment.

Once your horse is moving around you at an even pace, try to get him to shorten his steps just enough to slow him down slightly. Maintain that pace for a few seconds and then lengthen his steps slightly. When you can regulate his pace in one gait, see how smoothly and evenly you can move from one gait to the next. At first, the horse may hurry after changing gaits, but the more feel you develop in one gait the easier it will be for you to apply some feel to help in transitioning from one gate to the next.

When the horse gets to where you can regulate the speed at which he travels, slow him gradually until he comes to a stop. Again, the more preparation the horse puts into anything, the better it will be. It's not only about getting him to stop, but also about getting him to prepare for and make a smooth stop, whether he does it in three steps or 30. When the horse feels as if you can influence each step as he travels, try to turn him and go in the other direction, maintaining the same feel. I like to be able to stop the horse straight without him turning either way before working on getting him to turn into and away from you. If you get your horse relaxed and listening to you, you can then turn him in half-circles of varying sizes both into you and away from you. You may work an hour the first time you try this and have limited results, but if you feel it is doing any good, keep working, and from one day to the next, the two of you can develop a really keen communication, which can be very helpful in other areas.

At the very least, your efforts will work the fresh off your horse, and he will probably be quieter and safer when you get on.

Preparing your horse for the Hackamore and Bridle

The Spanish type hackamore and bridle are both traditionally designed to operate from feel not force. When they become a forceful tool, the outcome will be reversed from the original intent. Both the hackamore and bridle put pressure on the outside, the jaw and the neck, which if yielding to pressure, the horse will tip the nose to the outside. When they have learned to follow a feel, the nose will tip in the direction of travel while turning and the horse will stay balanced. When these tools are used forcefully as leverage devices the leverage of both the hackamore and a neck rein on a bridle will tip the nose to the outside while pulling the neck to the inside. Two things that tell the tale if the horse has been brought along with understanding is first, the poll will be supple, and second, the jaw will be relaxed, not clenched.

In order for a horse to accept the bridle, they can not be intimidated by it. When a horse is started properly and brought along threw the hackamore and two-rein, a lot of time is spent for the horse to learn threw experience and not fear. Bits that inflict pain such as tongue relief, that pressure the more sensitive bars of a horses mouth, cause the horse to raise their head initially especially with a quick movement from the reins.

A straight bar lying across the horses tongue like the traditional Spanish bits, allow the horse to hold the bit off the bars by flexing the tongue and holding the bit. A roller or cricket encourages the horse to work their tongue by giving them something to play with. They learn to enjoy the sound of a loud cricket and when we pick the reins up they can pick up the bit and roll the cricket which helps them to keep their mouth moist and their jaw relaxed.

Young horses that have not had their mouths violated by harsh bits or harsh hands will learn to enjoy and play with the bit. The horse that dreads the movement of quick or heavy hands or more severe bits will not likely if ever play with and enjoy the bit.

When we push a horse beyond their confidence level, especially when training them in the hackamore or bridle, to the point of fear and confusion, we must be very careful and back out of that area to minimize the damages. When the horse loses its confidence and we punish them and cause panic or resentment, we may create a situation that could take a multitude of good experiences to offset the one bad experience, and they may never trust that it won’t happen again.

We can not force a horse to relax. When their self preservation is engaged they are tense, tight, flighty, and maybe even fighting. They need to be confident that their safety is not being jeopardized, not just their livelihood but free from pain being inflicted on them from quick or heavy hands. Pain and especially quick, unexpected pain or a surprise makes it difficult for the horse to relax.

A very simple test is to take one rein to bring the head laterally. The one eye should look up the rein, the face remains some what vertical; not looking away and the head should not start toward a horizontal position. When you ask for vertical flexion, they should break in the poll without elevating the head first.

The horse can bend their neck laterally and vertically without bending their poll. Bending the horses neck does not mean they are supple in the poll. Flexing should be a test, not an exercise. When the horse has the proper preparation and understanding, there is no reason for their poll not to be supple.

In the training of a hackamore and bridle horse, a supple poll is the trademark of a horse that has learned to accept and operate with these traditional tools the way they were intended.

Discipline or Misguided Energy?

Q: Does the horse have a discipline problem, or misguided energy?
A: It is easy for a person to say, "My horse has a problem." With that attitude the person is handicapping a situation that could easily be turned into a learning session for both horse and human instead of a problem.

Misguided energy is often labelled as disrespect or a discipline problem; many times it is not a lack of discipline but rather a lack of direction. Taking the responsibility and having the foresight to set up a situation can easily produce a positive outcome for both the horse and person.

For example: the person and the horse pulling on a halter and pushing against each other’s shoulders. This is a common scenario and it is also unnecessary. We have utilized the horse for thousands of years for his power and intelligence. He has more strength than us so we need to out wit him.

Personal space is something that is important to the horse, once we nullify this, several problems can develop. This is a natural instinct of the horses, this is why they run away in the wild or resist a person catching them; they need personal space. Once we violate this we develop disrespect or discipline issues.

It is easy to maintain respect and discipline by maintaining their personal space; the horse will honour your space unless he is taught to be numb by constant meaningless pressure.

Take the horse that wants to graze, instead of pulling the halter, set it up so your foot happens to be positioned under his neck and as the horse gets to the ground to take a bite, your foot bumps his lower jaw very subtly. If he perceives he hit his jaw as he lowered his head this will discourage him from lowering his head and eating.

For the horse that wants to be moving or going somewhere, instead of trying to suppress this energy, send the horse out on some rope, as he gets past you tip his nose toward you step toward his tail and send him in a circle. If you were standing you would basically be lounging him, if you are going somewhere, you can be walking somewhat of a line with the horse jogging around you as you travel.

This simple procedure can use up some of the horses energy while conserving yours, and by changing directions and size of the horse’s circles the horse can get handy about being pushed out or drawn in as he moves.

Some people think disciplining is something the horse needs to learn, they expect to force it into the horse. You may force discipline but not respect, respect can get discipline, but discipline may not get respect.

A prison guard may have a level of respect of prisoners that are disciplined, but this may have developed through force, the prisoner likely made all the sacrifices in the relationship not the guard. If the guard loses his power over the prisoners, they have no relationship because it was based on fear and power.

In another scenario, take a grandfather, mentor figure to a young boy. The mentor is carrying for the younger ones welfare, glad to make the sacrifices necessary to benefit and advance the young. The young may not have any appreciation until he realizes the knowledge and effort put forth for his benefit. Then the young recipient, after some trials, can realize and appreciate what the mentor has to offer. This type of learning can reap a deep respect and a strict discipline. Self-respect produces self-discipline, but self-respect is developed by receiving respect.

The horse can separate firmness coming from a person with a soft heart versus a person with a hard heart. The application from the soft heart would only set the minimal boundaries needed and be quick to offer release, the horse can sense compassion. On the other end the hard heart will deliver some extra pressure. This may be driven by anger or ego on the person’s part.

Being humble enough to accept some of, if not all, the responsibility for an undisciplined relationship, may help earn some respect and honour than a certain level of discipline may evolve from that. Dominance or respect can be earned or forced. Force would be bringing pain or pressure to the horse to cause or alter his movements, "give to pressure." Using volunteered movement and setting up consistent boundaries that would not cause stress or pain, allows the horse to evaluate with an open mind the difference between self inflicted discomfort and whatever degree of relief. With proper evaluation and design of circumstances presented to the horse, he can willingly discover the relief.

I have no doubt based on experiences and witnessing some individual horse-human relationship, if the person can set their ego and agenda second to the horses needs the respect and discipline will come and the horse will submit and willingly allow the person to dominate his movements even in excelled and extreme conditions. Granted, this is something maybe more easily talked about and for a lot of us difficult to live by and apply, but I am confident with enough consideration from the person, the horse’s desire can develop. And with experience and good judgment from the person and some physical ability from the horse, some interesting achievement can be reached.

Good Luck and God Bless
Martin Black

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Get Back!

The majority of a horse’s movement is in a forward motion. If something is causing a loose horse to back up, they will usually shift their weight back, then turn and move away in a forward motion. The horses inherit instinct is to run away from danger and they can easily see behind them at a distance, so they will not hesitate to run if threatened.

A horse may back straight and not turn if they are more curious than threatened but it would be unusual for the horse to get much experience without a person handling them to keep them straight. With this in mind, when we want to get our horse to back straight for an extended length, it will take some understanding on the part of the person to acknowledge that this is one thing the horse has little experience doing.

If we watch different horses and analyze what is taking place some look like the person is trying to push a chain, parts are going every direction. The head may go up in the air, or tuck under toward the chest, the shoulders may go to the left or right, and the hips may go to one side or the other also, but not straight back. Other horses can back and look like the chain is being pulled with every link moving exactly on the same line. In this case the horse’s spine will be exactly straight from the tip of the tail to the poll, and the poll may not have any vertical flexion. Why? Because, the horse has engaged the hindquarters to pull, "the chain", before the person puts too much pressure on the head trying to, push "the chain".

How do we get this? First, the person needs to understand what makes the difference and what it feels like. It may be easier to learn what it feels like if another person is visually helping. It is as simple as knowing if the hind feet are moving before the front or if the front feet are moving before the hind. In other words the front starts to push the hind, "pushing a chain" or the hind pulling the front, "pulling a chain". If the hind foot leaves the ground before the opposite front, the hind would be pulling, or if the hind and front leave simultaneously at least the hind is not causing resistance. The resistance is what you feel in the pushing scenario that would be when the front foot moves before the opposite hind foot.

If the horse is light and supple with the hindquarters moving from side to side, it will be easier to move them back. Start by putting just enough pressure on the reins that the horse acknowledges you. This means the slightest movement of the head, up, down, looking back to one side, anything. Then put one leg on his side to move the hindquarters over, use one rein to reinforce only if necessary. As soon as the hind foot steps over one step, move the hindquarters back over the other way one step. All we are trying to do is step the hindquarters left and right one step from side to side. If the horse moves forward, be firm on the reins until he is back in his original tracks then resume the light pressure. If they are swinging real free, without stopping, and the horse hasn’t stepped back, just put a little more pressure on the reins to see if he will shift his weight back. When he does take a step, just sit still for at least as long as the horse worked leading up to taking a step back so he can realize how he got out of the situation. Two or three minutes wouldn’t be too long. This may be a good time to get on the cell phone.

One thing that will make a difference is if the rider will take all the weight out of the seat and stand with their weight more on the stirrups or thighs, when the feet are moving, the horse will raise the loin easier and thus make it easier to position and use the hindquarters. With some practice, and not violating the horse’s confidence you can get older horses backing better, or get a colt to come back the first step. It’s just a matter of getting the hind feet started first.

Good Luck and God Bless
Martin Black

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What kind of experience will your horse get out of your next ride?

Think of the big picture and what it is you are trying to achieve and what kind of steps you may take to reach your goals. If every ride could be a positive step in the direction you want and you can keep building on each step, the farther you go the more momentum you start picking up. When you get in trouble and cause some confusion with your horse, it may take away from some of what you had working, and it may also cause some doubt in the horses mind as to what you are trying to accomplish in the future.

Horses are amazing animals, with a little motivation and exposure doing whatever job they need to do, they can figure a lot of things out for us. Think about how long we spend fixing mistakes versus how much time we prepare for the right thing to fall into place with our horses.

Horses are extremely honest all they want is to be comfortable. They don’t look for trouble with us, they don’t take advantage of us, and we loose the advantage over them at times, and get in trouble with them.

Look at where your horse has come from in your training, where he is at, and where you would like to end up. What have you done in the past to contribute positively and what have you done negatively? Most of us need to control our impulse, think our way through our problems or progressive steps. Think about where the confidence level is with your horse, and when you were done with your last ride, was it better, worse, or maintained.

Think about this, when a horse is on their own how often do you see them take something in their mouth and pull? A stallion may in certain situation or a young horse may pick something up to play with, but if they are going to pull on something with their mouth it would be with their teeth clenched. When we see a horse with a bridle in his mouth and he is pulling against it, it is not comfortable for them; they would be confused, panicked, or at the least irritated. This is an example of where we can analyze what we are getting done. Are we teaching the horse to pull against our hands, accepting and wearing a pull from us, raising or flipping his head to try to deal with the pull by fighting for some relief from the pressure?

I guarantee if the horse new where to position his feet or body to avoid getting his mouth pulled on, he would. It takes pressure for relief to be effective, but it also take relief for pressure to be effective. When the horse experiences more pressure than relief, they will basically fight what they can’t tolerate, and tolerate what they can’t avoid.

Look at the big picture; if you spend a lot of time pressuring the horse, maybe a different presentation could be more effective. If the horse isn’t putting the effort you think is necessary, then you need to carefully decide if he understands and is not motivated, or if he doesn’t understand or is not ready physically or mentally yet. The correct diagnosis could be the key to your success.

Good Luck and God Bless
Martin Black

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Separating, Disrespect from Unknowing

In general this is probably the most misidentified problem horseman on varying levels deal with. The big problem for the horse is many of the handlers are unaware and want to "discipline" the horse for not performing to their expectations. If the person is open minded enough to consider where the horse may be coming from and reevaluate the line of communication life might be easier for both of them. Often the horse may be responding to some discomfort the person is imposing, this could be physical or mental, and the horse is only tying to get away from the pressure or seek relief. If is important for the person to realize the cause of a problem in order to find the proper solution. The more aware the person is of what is causing the actions of the horse the easier it is to deal with the problem. Many times the solution doesn’t mean putting the horse in a pressure situation to get what you want, it is as easy as removing the cause. If it’s not something the person is doing, it may be environmental; in either case the situation may allow removing the cause to get the desired results.

Excluding the hormonal influences, horses will generally try to please people. They don’t want conflict. Even with a certain amount of hormonal influence, if the situation is that the easy way out for the horse is to comply with our desire, the horse may willingly do what we want?

Disrespect is something people teach horses. It’s hard for people to set their egos aside to see this, but if you watch someone that is having a conflict with a horse and ask yourself two questions:

1. Is the person taking the horses actions personal, and wanting revenge?
2. Is the person trying to discipline the horse after the fact, in other words, the pressures coming at a later time than when the action took place?

In either case, it is unlikely the horse is going to relate the persons reaction to his action and therefore just resent the person or respond with fear. Many times if the horse is afraid the person feels like they have accomplished something because the horse is distracted with fear and may not think about whatever it was that caused him to get in trouble. Whether it be fear or disrespect the horse is not in a frame of mind to willingly do what we would like to get done with them.

The reactions of the horse are going to be based on experience and instinct. Instinct can tell them to be cautious or curious. Self-preservation is always strong in a horse that doesn’t have confidence in something. This is where an inexperienced horse could get in trouble if the person reacts with too much pressure.

To help see the horses perspective in this area think about this scenario: If you were walking through some grass thinking about dangerous snakes and all of the sudden you stepped on a stick and it flipped up and startled you, then at the same time someone grabbed you to prevent you from getting a safe distance away, you may experience panic on top of panic. There’s no physical pain to hurt you although that maybe easier to accept, horses are very emotional when it comes to fear, caution, self preservation, whatever we label it. It is important they get good experiences in these areas so they can get the confidence in us to handle other situations when they come up.

If we don’t trigger their flight instinct or expose them to bad experiences they can learn in a respectful, interested manner and be, in my opinion, a pleasure to work with.

Good Luck and God Bless
Martin Black

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Turn Arounds

Riders usually get their horses turned around one way or another, but few really get things worked out to where the horse stays balanced and really uses the whole body to execute the maneuver. Some horses reach and use their front-end good, but with speed the hindquarters step outside while turning. Others pull with the hindquarters good, but the front end doesn’t reach so it ends up hopping or offsetting around. If the rider pulls too hard on the reins, one of two things happen, the horse stays supple and his neck will bend too much so he can’t balance himself in a way to compliment the turn, or the horse resist the pull, gets rigid and the neck gets too straight, then the head is elevated too much for a balanced turn.

When the horse’s eye looks into the turn his poll will tip to the inside. When the poll is supple and bends the loin will also slightly bend simultaneously, this helps engage the hindquarters and balance the front end. If the rider kicks or spurs the outside ribs or shoulder too much the horse may try to position his head so his eye can look back at the riders foot, which would mean the horse is too straight. Or the horse’s head may be pulled to the inside but the mussels over the ribs would be tight, anticipating and bracing against the rider kicking. In either case the poll is not going to be bent and the horse is not going to use himself to his maximum potential, and if the rider is interfering with the horses balance or causing the horse to tighten mussels when they need to be supple, the horse will not achieve his potential.

Turning a horse is a balancing act, figuratively and literately. The horse may have anywhere from one to all four feet contacting the ground while in an accelerated motion. This obviously requires balance, to position their weight to counter gravitational force, and in another sense of the word, to have symmetrical use between the hindquarters and hind feet, the shoulders and front feet, and of course the head and neck. If any one of these parts isn’t in the proper position the horse will be handicapped. So we need a balance of the use and position of each part influencing the turn. It doesn’t matter so much what order we prepare the different parts, what matters is that they all come together and create balance in every sense of the word.

There are different styles and purposes for a turn around and it’s important to understand, for your sake and the horse’s sake, what exactly it is you want to accomplish. To clarify, for argument sake, the type of turn around we are discussing is a flat spin with consistent speed and uniform motion, traveling the same for one revolution or ten, just as though you would lope one circle or ten.

Horse racing history has established the simple fact that a horse’s forward motion is faster than a horses reverse motion. With this fact the horse can turn in a forward motion, pivoting and pulling back with the inside hind foot to hold the horse consistently centered, and the outside hind and both front feet in a forward motion. This type of turn will give you the most speed with the power coming from the inside hind pulling back, against the other three quarters pulling forward, utilizing centrifugal force to speed the turn-around.

Trotting circles is an exercise that can be used to get the front end to reach over with an accelerated pace. When the horse can spiral down from a larger circle until the inside hind foot pivots and the front feet are in a trotting speed that would be a fair pace for a turn around.

An exercise to get the hind quarters to pull is a roll back, where the horse would use his hind quarters to pull the front end off the ground and set it over a quarter or half turn, then let the horse move straight forward again. Allowing the horse to move forward without pulling or kicking, gives him a step or so to rebalance then set him in another turn.

A horse can learn to prepare both ends with these simple exercises by simply getting the front end to reach freer, or getting the hind end to pull more. The right amount of forward motion will get the outside hind going forward while the inside hind pulls back.

If the rider can maintain a light contact on the reins so the head position isn’t altered, and both front and hindquarters contributing appropriately, a smooth turn around will be the result.

Backing a horse in circles is commonly used to influence a horse to pull with the hindquarters, but it is ineffective if the horse is backing using the front end to push the hind, instead of using the hind to pull the front, or if the horse is backing while trying to turn and tangling up and or stepping out behind.
Regardless of the method, good judgment, understanding and proper preparation, or luck is essential to good results, and recognizing the difference will save you some grief.

Good Luck and God Bless
Martin Black

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People often try to explain a horse’s action by comparing and rationalizing them to how a person thinks. Though I exclude myself as an expert on horses, I have had the opportunity to observe their behavior and believe there is some definite difference in the characteristics of horses and humans. I will share some of the reasons to my conclusions and you can form your own opinion, after all a horse is the only expert on the horse, we can only have a second opinion because the horse can’t confirm what any of us think is absolutely right.

Horses have no value for material things; they have no greed. A dog will bury a bone to have later, a squirrel will store food for winter, and people store goods and valuables for later. People, probably more than any animals are so greedy they hoard treasures and money they may never use.

The horse looks to satisfy their immediate needs, if they can find shelter when needed and satisfy their nutritional needs they can be content. If they have stored excess energy they have a need to exercise. When they feel threatened they respond with whatever means of self preservation they feel is necessary.

For hormonal reasons horses, mares or stallions may be territorial and aggressive. The larger share of the horse’s actions come down to these few basic needs. Horses don’t care what the Jones’ down the road are doing. Their peers do not influence them; their appearance doesn’t change with the new styles. They grow long hair for the short days of winter and short hair for long summer days. Their decision-making isn’t based on bettering their future, just taking care of the present.

When you look at a lot of problems people have with their horses and really dissect the problem it comes down to the person trying to satisfy their greed or cave into competition, to win a bigger buckle, to hear their peers brag on their accomplishments and if they succeed the person is a hero, but if they are unsuccessful the horse has a problem that interfered. To an extent this is the human nature in us, if we can identify it for what it is and address it accordingly, our horses may get along with us better.

A person’s ego is probably one of the horse’s greatest enemies. In my personal experience if I recognize I am having a problem and then look where my ego is in the equation, then make whatever adjustments with a humble approach things generally work out better.

In working ranch conditions and performance horse competitions sometimes the game may get a little uglier than we like. Sometimes sacrifices are made in the heat of the chase but I still think you can evaluate the reasoning behind the sacrifice the horse made for us. Was it done to get from point A to point B, to get the job done that needed done the best way we knew how, or did we get aggressive trying to take a short cut so we could save some time to spend somewhere else? Was this a thoughtful long-term decision, or a selfish greedy decision for our short-term interest?

Basically horses are motivated by comfort, security, and in some cases hormonal reasons, not greed, self-assertiveness, or egotisms. Understanding horses requires a lot of work physically and mentally, the older I get the more I try to exercise the mental and relax the physical, not being lazy, just conservative. Riding horses can be very relaxing, understanding horses can be very challenging, frustrating and hard work, but the accomplishments can be very rewarding.

Good Luck and God Bless
Martin Black

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What is your horse's body mass index?

Some people may think they are being nice to their horse by feeding them the best feeds available, they are fat and their hair is slick.   People are doing the best they know how, but we have taken an animal that has been bred for centuries to work and be fit, and in only a few decades, fed and confined them like an animal for slaughter.   In Europe, there are breeds raised for slaughter that are not any heavier than some of our Quarter Horses.   If we could just step back and make an observation, the cure to a lot of our horses' problems may be obvious.

We are feeding them like Sumo wrestlers and then wanting them to work like soccer players, or not work enough.   In either case, they are not mentally or structurally designed for this life of luxury.   Coming from a background of raising horses in harsh conditions, then seeing horses that are over cared for, and comparing the problems, there is no question-- over feeding is a problem.

The ranch horses in the Great Basin may look like the High School Cross Country team, but they were healthy, fit and without the psychological problems found in stables and backyards.   What most people identify as discipline problems with their horse is more likely too much stored energy.   When they consume high-energy feeds and are not allowed the opportunity to exercise this energy off they can be hyperactive.

Horses that are confined and overfed will have problems with hypertension, digestion, hormones, leg soundness, and if they are in training, the handlers will be challenged with directing the excess energy.   Not to mention cribbing, weaving, ulcers, colic, founder, parasites and viruses not as prevalent in horses with lesser feeds in open spaces.

I see more problems mentally and physically with horses being over fed and under worked than with horses that are burning as much energy as they consume and maybe show a trace of their skeletal structure.   When analysing problems with horses I often ask myself, "would this be a problem if the horse did not have excess energy?"

On the other hand, if you have a performance horse that is working hard and needs a consistent energy supply, grains like corn, oats, barely, and molasses, do not supply this.

They contain excessive carbohydrates that lead to hypersensitivity because of the horse's inability to utilize too many carbohydrates at a given time.   The nutrient levels of high protein hay many times are not consistent, which translates to the hay your horse gets today may be richer or poorer than what they will get tomorrow, even though it came from the same field and looks the same.

Although hay is not a reliable nutrient source for performance horses, it is necessary in every horses diet.   Good grass hay will provide plenty of roughage and a great source of fibre.   Other key ingredients to look for in a bagged feed are vitamin levels, organic minerals rather than inorganic which the horse is unable to utilize, and Omega 3 essential fatty acids, which provide a more consistent energy than excessive carbohydrates.

I am not a nutritionist, but I deal with many problems and have witnessed much success in health and training programs due to the right balance between nutrition and the horse's workload.

Some situations don't allow the horse to have the space they need, but recognizing the effects for what they are and allowing more unrestricted exercise, more work, or consuming less energy can bring things back into balance.

Without the excess energy, more training could be done without extreme training methods which would result in happier, more willing horses.   There is no doubt in my mind, if we could ask the horses who is the happiest and feels the best, it would be the ones without the crease down their back.

Good Luck and God Bless
Martin Black

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What Our Horse is Telling Us

Why do some horses have more trouble with their head position than others? This is commonly an issue with horse people regardless of whether it’s a trainer with performance horses or recreational riders. Often the solution is tying the head down or leverage gimmicks that apply more pressure. In most cases the person ends up identifying the symptom as the problem.

The symptom is the horses head elevated or the mouth open. The popular solution is generally a tie down, martingale, draw reins, more leverage, etc.
The problem from our perspective is our horses head is up and the mouth is open. The problem from the horse’s perspective is our hands and/or our weight, compounded by possible dental issues. When we can take responsibility for causing the problem and eliminate the cause, the problem can go away without all the gimmicks.

When we rely on tools or more pressure to treat the symptoms, not only do we cause our horses more grief and confusion, but a big percent of these methods have a low percentage of success. Especially when you consider the side effects they may cause.

There are various things and complications that can cause head problems. For example, when the head goes up and the mouth opens, the message sent from the hands through the reins is not carrying through the muscles and getting to the feet. The person may be quick to pull on the reins and the horse doesn’t have time to prepare to position the feet for the maneuver we are asking. This is like dumping the clutch on a stick shift vehicle. If we let the clutch out to the point the vehicle starts to respond, then wait and feel real easy before letting it out all the way, we can learn to make smooth transitions from a stop to a start or one gear to another, but when we are to quick, the vehicle jars and stalls. Very similar to our horses when we wait and feel for the preparation we can be smooth, when we are in a hurry, the feet stall and the horse braces against the sudden pressure.

When we cause the horse to brace the neck muscles by pulling too hard or too quick, we inhibit the balance of the horse and their movement. Their movement will not be smooth and natural and neither will their head carriage.
The horse uses their head to balance, shifting from side to side and up and down. Any movement in their head and neck is countered through the shoulders by movement in the back and hindquarters, like a teeter-totter that moves sideways, one end can’t move without affecting the other.

The other thing that can cause head position problems or add to other problems is inadequate dentistry. Without proper dental maintenance, the bit can pinch the cheek or tissue on the bars of the mouth against sharp teeth. Even a hackamore can cut the inside of the cheek if the molars are sharp, or if they are shedding caps from the molars. Caps need to be checked every 6 months from the middle of their 2 year old year threw the end or their 3 year old year or until all 12 molar caps are gone.

Wolf teeth should be removed before even having a bit in their mouth. The wolf teeth can be sharp against the tissue and the shallow root can get bumped and loosened which will irritate them.

Bit seats should be maintained to insure a rounded surface to prevent any tissue, bars or cheeks, from being pinched between the bit and front molars.
Also, any dentist that has a thorough understanding of equine dentistry will know how to balance the table to relieve any pressure on the TMJ. Equine dentistry is the most overlooked and underestimated problem I see, even by knowledgeable horse people because it becomes an “out of site out of mind” situation.

Good Luck and God Bless
Martin Black

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Desensitizing... How much is enough?

There is a lot of hype about “desensitizing” among horse people and some clinicians these days. They get the horse completely desensitized then they have to sensitize them again to get them to operate. In some cases, I see the horses getting very confused and irritated with this procedure. Why do they put the horse through all this? Why do they mislead the horse, letting them believe they can be comfortable accepting certain pressures, and then increase the pressures trying to get the horse to respond to the same pressures they just taught them to accept?

Personally, I don’t like to think that we should be trying to desensitize one of Gods creations that He has made so sensitive. Horses are very intelligent, naturally sensitive animals and such high sensitivity is essential to their survival. It is not “Natural” for them to operate without it.

When the horse is a tool to a person that has no interest in understanding their horse or in becoming a better horseperson, it may make sense to bring the horse to the level of the person. But if the person is interested in the horse, the person should be helped and encouraged to rise to the level of the horse.

It is possible to develop a horse that is comfortable with us and their surroundings but still alert. We need to be safe, that should always be our first priority with horses, and then, we can have a productive lesson or get a job done. On this note, there is a certain amount of “desensitizing” that needs to take place to help a horse “accept” a blanket, saddle, or us touching them with our hands. But any more than what is needed to get the horse comfortable and confident is going beyond a safety requirement. After the horse accepts a certain object or pressure, we should leave it alone. This doesn’t mean that you won’t ever need to revisit it, there isn’t a life time guarantee they will always accept it. There are always cases when something that is usually familiar to the horse is surrounded by different circumstances and may cause the horses’ self-preservation to be triggered. When we detect discomfort, such as confusion, frustration, anxiety, or fear, then we need to defuse this by reassuring the horse and helping them to be more confident. This is what we as horse people need to be aware of and practice watching for, allowing the horse its God given need for self-preservation. Let the horse be a horse and understand the horse as a horse.

Just like there are certain responsibilities, experience, and requirements that go along with getting a drivers license, a person should accept the same responsibility when working with horses.

If we take all the self-preservation away from a horse, what do we have to motivate them besides excessive pressure? A horses’ main objective in life is to be comfortable, physically and mentally. We have no right to dull them to the point that it requires excessive pressure and discomfort to get them to respond, when their natural instinct is to be responsive and sensitive in the first place.

Anyone can go to a colt starting clinic or see a demonstration, live or on TV and learn how to desensitize a horse and this may work if you are training lawn ornaments. But when it comes time for the horse to go do something, where is the motivation going to come from? How is the relief and pressure going to apply when they have been conditioned to ignore so much?

People like to think they are more intelligent than the horse. If this is true, they should be able to rise to the horses’ level of sensitivity and intuition instead of “desensitizing” the horse to their level.

An important message that Tom Dorrance impressed on me, was to Recognize the horses’ need for self-preservation, and do not take it away from them. Learn to allow the horse to maintain their self-preservation and still operate for a person. We need to understand this if we are going to gain their confidence on a level that they can really be with us.

Flagging from your Horse

When I was a boy, the older buckaroos would say” Don’t do anything on foot that you can do on horseback.” I learned that if you wanted to become a good horseman that was good advice for two reasons. First by trying to do different jobs using your horse, your horse gets handier. Second, the more you do with your horse, the more you can learn from your horse.

With this background when it came to starting horses, it only made sense to me to do all that could be done from a horse. Again the horse you are riding has a job so he has an opportunity to become handier, not only can you be safer and stronger when need be, but you can also become handier, too.

In recent articles, we talked about the flagging process, the purpose, the philosophy, and now we can talk about the application from another horse. There are two things to remember and maintain using a horse to flag another horse. First keep your horse’s head pointed toward the colt’s tail. Second, keep the flag between the colt and your horse as they are in motion. This will be the way to position everything while in motion over ninety percent of the time.

There will be times you may ride straight forward, back-up or side pass but if the flag is effectively working, the colt will be moving away from you. If your horse is traveling towards the colt’s tail, the rope will be tipping the colt’s nose towards you and the hindquarters away.

Now with those being the primary objectives to positioning, here are some tips that may help. For your horse to travel towards the colt’s tail, your rein hand will be pointed towards the colt’s tail. When you are working from the right side of your horse, you will be on the right side of the colt. Your reins are in the left hand, and flag in your right hand. When you change sides, change hands. If you don’t feel confident and safe with the rope around the saddle horn, hold it in the same hand as your reins. This way as the colt pulls on you, he pulls your rein, turning your horse to catch up. If the colt is pulling too much, raise the flag back over your head away from him to relieve some of the pressure.

As we mentioned earlier, the position of the flag and the angle of the pull on the rope will determine the position of the colt in relation to you. The rope should be adjusted so the colt is at least as far away as your flag can reach. If the colt is responding too much, back off with the flag or give him more rope to give him more distance from you. If the rope is around the saddle horn, don’t tie off solid. Dally and hold the end with your hand or you can tuck a few inches under your thigh or knee with the end of the rope hanging down in front of your leg. If things become unsafe raise your leg and the rope can be released, the dallies will slip and you can be freed from the colt. Safety is always first. You should be familiar and confident with dallying or practice before hand so you are not attempting to do too many new things at once.

As mentioned in previous articles, the flag is positioned generally between the colt’s poll and his loin and between your horse and the colt. This will keep the colt towards the end of the rope and not under your horse’s tail. If the colt is bothered by seeing the flag and you allow him to get to your horse’s tail, with his head down, he will learn to run under the flag and you will have taught him to hide from it. Don’t let this happen. Not only can it be potentially dangerous, it will also make the lesson ineffective.

Working with large animals can be dangerous, especially when they panic and use all their strength. But avoiding trouble can create more trouble. Don’t just post pone dealing with the horses fear, it can confirm their fears and make things worse. Pick your battles, deal with them, but pick the time and place that is favorable and safe for you and your horse. Don’t wait and let something happen at an inconvenient and unsafe time.

As discussed in the two previous articles, Can Your Horse Survive a Fire Drill and Creating a Fire Drill for your Horse through flagging, this process will not only help young horses that haven’t been handled much but older horses that don’t handle a crisis very well. If they are braced in the poll and loin, they can learn to soften up. They can learn a safe way to respond to frightful situations. They can learn to stop and accept pressure, so they can stand for saddling, picking up their feet, brushing or anything else that may have been bothering them, causing them to move. Parking them is teaching control and is just as important as having control to go right or left, forward or backwards. As they learn all this, desensitizing becomes the by product. A desensitized horse that you cannot control the feet on, to me is still a dangerous horse.

Obvious things like getting off your horse to open a gate could be made easier after taking some to learn to do it from your horse. While working cattle in a corral, we can learn to understand cattle and how to work from a horse and make the job better for the cattle by being less stressful and again you and your horse can become handier.